Downgrade

Not so Fast

Miguel and Loshiana headed back to the living room where they’re confronted with those cold stares from the others, not until Cody blinked twice. Their faces were quite woeful.

Miguel whistled as he crossed his feet on the table beside the mittens. He gave a sneering look upon the two and was attentive.

“So, did you do well?” He asked. Vixen slapped off his feet and scowled. “Manners.”

“Tch. So, what happened inside Kinzel’s office? Did the boss give you a scold that you can’t manage?”

“No.” They answered.

Miguel rested beside Cody and timidly said, “I read Loshiana’s mind…She’s still composing herself. Let her have some air.” Vixen looked over her with such comforting eyes. She slowly stood up and went to Loshiana and led her outside. The girls are breathing air and observing the surroundings. These days, they have distinguished that the guards are roaming the place more often and they have been strict in public places.

“Are you okay, Losh?” Vixen gave her an eye. She wasn’t so sure if she’s giving her the comfort she needs but she has to try. Loshiana was just staring at those children, wandering around and having so much fun with dirt – the innocent ones. Dirt, it was something that they need not to play, but they are too young to know about it. She made a wary smile as she watched them. A five-year-old girl, wearing a tattered dress waved at them. She was holding her ragged doll as the sun touched her scarred face. She has a patch on her eye. Loshiana waved back to the child and looked at Vixen, smiling.

Vixen wasn’t expecting to see her reaction. At some point, she was hoping that she would see her cry or maybe be exhausted, but it was different. She was different. Her eyes were gleaming as if she had won her victory, she had passed something that she feared out. She was calmed. Without knowing why she smiled back at Loshiana who’s now enjoying the cold breeze.

While they are enjoying, the others didn’t budge and were eager to hear what happened between the four. The siblings just went out from Kinzel’s office with grim faces. They thought that the two just caught themselves in a misunderstanding. As they walked, Guilbert suddenly vanished in front of them, leaving Kinzel to face them. She sighed.

“W-What…Where is he going?” Quinten startlingly spoke.

“He’s going somewhere to inspect. Okay, gather around. I know you’re thirsting for the information.” She replied and pulled one of the chairs, making a seat. She ran her fingers through her hair, illuminating tiredness.

“So, tell us the details, boss.” Quinten exclaimed.

She bent herself and laid her arms while closing her hands on her lap. “First of all, I wasn’t able to thank you all for cooperating these days. Wait…” She stopped and looked around. “Where are the girls?”

Cody pointed at the window and said, “They’re outside, having a girly conversation.”

Kinzel slightly pulled up her neck enough to give her a glance at the ladies. “Okay, I guess I just have to deal with Vixen later and about this matter.”

She cleared her throat. “So yeah, thank you for being an awesome team. Era will not be going this far without everybody’s help. And Cody, your trackers did work well and it did help us a lot. And to you, who fought with the other levels, thank you. I know we’re exhausted on these things that are happening but I hope that’s all worth it to all of you.”

Quinten patted her back. “That’s so sweet of you, boss. So rare.”

She gave her a punch over his midriff. “Is that a compliment?”

Quinten held his waist and nodded with a terrible look.

“Good.” Kinzel replied.

“So back in the topic,” She looked at Miguel who was holding his glass, sitting beside Cody, who’s busy cleaning off his lenses. She cleared her throat once more, enough to get their attention. “So, as I said, we interrogated the two. In which, Miguel and Loshiana were held captives by the Royals. We also used Miguel’s powers to read Loshiana’s mind and to know what happened to her the time they got separated. And it turned out that…Miguel saw how she was tortured under their hands. They embarked a seal on her waist…”

“So…she was tortured for what?” Cody inquisitively asked as he remembered when Quinten asked him if he had noticed something unusual from the girl.

“For information. Penelope was forcing Loshiana to tell any details about the Era. She’s into us obviously and we know she wants to get us killed.”

“How creepy to think that such a beautiful creature will want us dead.” Quinten said, acting hurt as he held his chest with his hand.

“She’s not beautiful at all, Quint.” Cody shrugged in the corner.

“Yeah. Yeah.”

After some minutes, Vixen and Loshiana went inside the base as nothing happened. They were well. Loshiana was giggling with Vixen but eventually stopped when she recognized some stares from the others. She turned her gaze to them and unwieldy said hi. “U-Uhm...we’re just talking about the newsman and the news that was delivered a while ago…”

“Does it look funny?” Quinten blurted out with annoyance plastered.

Loshiana gulped when she heard him. “N-No –.”

Vixen snooped in and pulled Loshiana behind. “Rudeness is what best describes you. But also learn to respect those that are part of this group, or maybe as you called it – family.” She said with such domain. Her eyes were captivating his with demand. Quinten put in silence and stopped with a sigh. He just needs someone to tame himself. “Okay. I got it.”

“Aye. That enough.”

A flash had come in the center. Guilbert sprung out of nowhere. He was all in his sweats. His shirt was damped wet. He was panting. Kinzel ran towards him and just as he could pass out, she held him tight, supporting his weight with her arms. The others rushed to them, panicked. Guilbert was catching his own breath. Quinten, Cody and Miguel brought him on the couch and let him rest. He was pale.

They waited for him to calm down. His breathing was getting better. Kinzel rubbed his hair and hummed the song they used to sing when they’re still with Mr. Owen. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw everyone fretted. He sluggishly raised his hand and gave them a thumbs up and a forced smile, trying to tell everybody that he’s alright. He pulled off himself from lying. Assisted by Cody, he sat and faced them.

“We can make it through this night.” He said.

“What does he mean?” Vixen said and looked at Kinzel who was serious. She rubbed her nape. “Well…he went near the tunnel and inspect how many guards are inspecting in the daylight.”

“I was lucky to hear those men from the entrance where I was standing beside a boulder there were leaning on. They were having a conversation about their shifts and got into a topic about how many guards will be on the call for tonight. There might be twenty of them. We can pass them through.”

“Woah, wait. Are you planning to get in the tunnel tonight?” Quinten said, hands sideways.

Kinzel and Guilbert nodded. “This will be a better chance for us to pass it. The earlier the better. This will be our second attempt to get into the third level after we have tried before which have costed the life of Zeke and Brian. We don’t want to lose any part of this. So if there’s a hint that we can’t make it tonight, we need to fall back.” Kinzel abruptly muttered.

Loshiana took a step back and hit the wall, which caused a sound for them to look in her direction. She touched the wall with her bare hand and said, “I…have to pee.” Taking a pace, she excused herself and went to the rugged, not a place to smell so much – the comfort room. Quinten gazed at her way until he can’t see her. His face twitched a bit.

“We should be there at exactly five, just like what the old man had told us.” Guilbert uttered.

Everyone nodded. “We still have two hours to pack our things, then we’ll leave.”

Era went to their respective rooms to gather their stuff. Miguel and Quinten were sharing one. Quinten was still a bit suspicious of Loshiana, but he had kept it with himself. He doesn’t want to look like an enemy towards the others. The siblings are in Kinzel’s office taking some papers that they need and potions that she had made. The next room was filled with the two, Cody and Vixen.

Looking over the lotus, Vixen didn’t know the reason why she’s having chills all of a sudden. Cody was slacking off his bed when he noticed that she was rubbing her arms in the middle of the heat. “Are you getting a cold?” He curiously pondered. She gently shook her head. It wasn’t a thing for her to think negatively. Perhaps she had drowned herself into such misery after she visited that street.

“Do you think it will be fine for us to go there later?”

Cody raised his right foot together with his arms, stretching. “Not that I’m negative, but it’s always going to be the same…it’s risky, but we have to face it…cause that’s Era is.” He smiled at her.

“Yeah. Let’s just hope for the better.” She replied and placed her black scarf, dark blue shoal and a bottle of water filled with a boiled stick that the old man gave, the power-up.

“You’re going to bring that?” Cody asked when he saw her packing the thing.

“It’s better to be ready than do nothing.”

“Mmm…okay, then.” Cody got up from the bed and went to open his drawer. It was full of herbs, junks and books. On top of it, his clothes were unarranged. Vixen had a glance at it and sneered. “You’re too good to look at that. Pffft. That doesn’t suit you, Cod.” She commented.

“I don’t have much time to rearrange this stuff, especially when most of the time we’re dealing with shit.”

“I sense that someone is backing right now.”

“I’m not.”

“Well. If you say so.”

On the other hand, Quinten noticed several footprints coming back and forth outside their room. With such curiosity, he stood up from his bed, slightly opened their door and peeked. He had seen Loshiana looking in different sides just before she vanished to the living room. She was holding something that Quinten didn’t recognize so well. He stared at the way for a moment and eventually closes the door and saw an attentive face of Miguel.

“What are you looking at? As if you have seen a ghost.”

“Nothing.” He timidly replied.

It was four-thirty in the afternoon when they got all the things that they need. The Era gathered in the living room. The tunnel is not that far for them to go. Its entrance was located in brownfield where junks are being piled. The tunnel is a passage for those who have an appointment with the officers, the committee, or rulers themselves. It was their route to keep them out from bandits and any misfortune. Cody took a deep sigh and hoped that it will do well for them. Vixen patted him by the shoulder. “Loosen up. You’re stiff.”

“O-oh…sorry.”

“Okay, we’ll use Guilbert as our way. When we get there, keep your mouths shut and don’t make any necessary things. Understood?” Kinzel said.

“Aye, Captain.”

They held each other’s hands and Guilbert directly leads them from his last spot. But it seems that from the start, their plan didn’t work well – they have led themselves into a pit. A smirk was seen from the distance together with strong slow claps.

“Well done. You have come here with no fear. And that’s so fascinating to see. Why don’t we have a simple conversation? Mmm? What do you think?” A man said with a sarcastic tone.

“It’s…him,” Vixen said, gazing straight to the person in front of them.